1st Place - Squat_ltWhat Is The Most Important Aspect Of Bodybuilding? Why?

1: Mindset

To my way of thinking, mindset is certainly the most important aspect of bodybuilding. The mind is the most powerful tool in the human body. A good mindset can create a successful bodybuilder from a skinny kid, while a poor mindset can destroy one that is already good.

You must have a clear vision of yourself as a bodybuilder. Simple - if you want to be one, you must think like one. You must love what you are doing if you want to achieve something.

Think about all current sport legends such as Michael Jordan in basketball, Tiger Woods in golf and Arnold Schwarzenegger in bodybuilding. Do you think any of them achieved this level without absolute dedication to their sport and unimaginable motivation? I don't think so...

The reason that I choose mindset over the other three is simple. You just can't train, eat and supplement properly without a good mindset. You can't achieve decent training if you have no motivation to train intensely. It's impossible to achieve a good shape if you don't understand the way exercises work.

If you don't have true dedication to bodybuilding, you will always find an excuse to skip the few last reps, set or even a workout. Consistency is a key to success in bodybuilding. You will never push yourself to the limit. Training without the mind just does not work.

And how about nutrition? It's probably the toughest part of success in bodybuilding. Eating old canned tuna and tasteless chicken breast all year round is certainly not the easiest thing to do. Avoiding certain food all the time is even more exhausting.

You see your friends eating burgers and drinking coke while you are trying to push another bowl of oats towards your stomach. Without a doubt it's mentally hard. Very few can handle this without fall downs. I don't believe anybody could do such sacrifice for fun. It's tough, it requires willpower and dedication, but results will come in time. It's a part of the game, part of the success.

Setting goals is another part of the mind game. You are less likely to succeed if you don't have clear goals and a clear vision of yourself in the future. It's impossible to achieve a good physique with chaotic training and lack of plans.

WHAT'S YOUR GOAL?

Choose You Goal Below.
Is Your Goal Not Listed?Click Below To Learn More About Goal Setting.

Also choosing somebody better than you is also beneficial. You should have an ideal picture for everything you do. It could even be a famous bodybuilder with a similar body type as yours.

Learning from your mistakes is another essential part of your way towards success. Failure at anything and anytime should not discourage you. It should stimulate you to reach perfection and your goals even more.

Mental Tips:

A few tips for success in mental part of bodybuilding:

Vision - Try to establish a clear vision from the first day you hit the gym.

"I want to be a champion bodybuilder and no one can stop me from achieving my goal."

You won't achieve anything if you are always hesitating and you are not sure what you want.

Motivation - You should keep yourself motivated as much as you can. Don't let motivation fade away, always encourage yourself to train. Watching movies and looking at pictures of great bodybuilders surely helps in this case.

Setting Goals - You should set goals for everything! From the very first workout - think about your future. You should set long-term goals and then divide them into shorter periods. You should also be wise when you set a goal. It should be realistic and achievable. You don't want to discourage yourself with failure.

Learn From Your Mistakes - As I mentioned above - it's very important part of bodybuilding. You should always try to avoid your previous mistakes. You are less likely to succeed if you repeat same mistakes over and over again.

Muscle & Mind - One of the keys to success in your workouts is the mind and muscle connection. You should practice to feel every muscle when you train. You should think about the muscle and not about weight. Only then you will be capable to push yourself to the limit.

2: Training

Training in bodybuilding is definitely the most important subject after a proper mindset. Once you decide that you want to succeed in bodybuilding - you just need to train with weights to achieve a decent shape. In bodybuilding contestants are judged by muscular development and training with weights is the best and fastest way to build your body.

Weightlifting ignites muscle growth and improves many functions of your body. Everyone is very individual so you must choose your training wisely. You should understand your body composition and specifications of it. Once you start training, you should focus on these aspects of weightlifting:

Exercises, Sets, Reps:

Unless you don't have a strong base, I recommend doing mainly free weight compound type exercises with low sets and low reps. They involve many muscle groups and are good mass builders. Best compound exercises for mass:

Concentrate on isolation exercises only when you have a solid package of mass. Then you should involve more isolation exercises with machines to shape the muscle. You should also increase number of sets and reps, because it's risky to do isolation exercises with heavy weights. These movements are not natural to the body and unusual to your joints, so you will be more injury prone.

You should also focus on technique instead of heavier weight. Cheating sometimes helps to go over a plateau, but it should only be a rare way of training. Full range of motion is also very important if you want to achieve maximum muscle stimulation.

Negative phase of exercise is even more important because you recruit most muscle fibers when you lower the weight. Muscle contraction is also a thing to be looked at.

RELATED ARTICLE

Think 'Negative' To Grow!
When hitting the iron, many consider only the movement or exercises, with no regard to the speed, eccentric portion, or time under tension. This week I'm going to discuss eccentric muscle actions and the importance to an overall lifting regimen.[ Click here to learn more. ]

Recovery time must be adequate to your workouts. If you train very intensely you might need even 5-7 days to fully recover after a workout. However it should be judged very individually. Just make sure that you recover properly before you hit the gym next time.

Cardio Exercises:

RELATED ARTICLE

What Type Of Cardio Program Should You Follow?If you are looking to lose fat, you know you have to have a great weight training, nutrition, and supplement program to get the fastest results. You also know you will have to do cardio.

Without a doubt cardio has many benefits, which are sometimes under looked. Cardio improves your cardiovascular health, muscle endurance, recovery time, and also increases metabolic rate. Cardio exercises also help in the battle to lose fat; you increase metabolic rate and burn more calories while exercising.

Duration and intensity of a best cardio workout is still very discussable in bodybuilding. I believe that short and intense cardio workouts are best for maximum fat loss, muscle preservation and overall health.

I would recommend doing 3-4 cardio workouts a week. Workout should last 20-30 minutes and should be intense enough.

If possible you should do your cardio workout when you have a day off from gym. In worst case you can do both workouts same day, but you should be sure that your recuperation time is sufficient.

Injury Prevention:

Stretching exercises and light weight acclimation sets are essential if you want to stay injury free in the joints and muscles. You should do stretching exercises for all muscle groups before and after every workout.

Even if I've put nutrition to third place, it's a live or die thing when we are talking about nutrition in bodybuilding. When you are training hard, your body needs sufficient amounts of energy and plenty of raw material. Providing that energy and raw materials is the role of nutrition.

Nutrition involves learning how to bulk up and then get lean. Nobody, and I say nobody, has ever won a bodybuilding competition without a proper view to diet. Nutrition is not less important than training.

Good nutrition starts with understanding the role and usage of basic nutrients:

Protein:

It's an organic compound composed of various amino acids. It's essential to the structure and function of all living cells and is the building material of muscle. When digested it's broken down to amino acids.

Protein is probably the most important nutrient for a bodybuilder because it's used by the body to build, repair and maintain your muscle. However it's a big difference between sources of protein. Some foods don't have complete amino acid composition, so it's not best for muscle growth, while others have poor bioavailability and are not usable by the body so well.

Generally these products contain a maximum amount of high quality protein with a minimum amount of fat and carbohydrates.

Bodybuilders might need a lot more protein than the average person with low activity levels. I recommend getting at least 1.5gr of protein for 1 lb. of bodyweight. You should get about 20%-30% your daily calorie intake of protein.

PROTEIN CALCULATOR

Weight

Results

Protein

Carbohydrates:

The body's primary and most easily digestible source of energy. Often bodybuilders try to avoid carbohydrates, because they are paranoid that carbs are stored as fat. That's certainly a silly approach to bodybuilding. When you are training, you expend loads of energy, and carbs are the best source to get that energy from. I would suggest a high carbohydrate diet. You should get 50%-60% your daily calorie intake of carbohydrates.

However not all carbs are good to use. Commonly they are divided into simple (sugar) and complex carbohydrates. Also they are sorted out by glycemic index. Usually by high and low GI. Bodybuilders should use more complex, low glycemic index carbs. They provide steady energy for a long amount of time. Although simple, high GI carbs are good for post workout glycogen stores replenishment.

Fruits contain simple carbs (fructose) but they have a great amount of fiber - you should include some fruits in your nutrition regimen.

Fats:

They are the most energy dense of all macronutrients. While 1gr of protein and carbs provide 4kcal, 1gr of fat provides 9kcal. Fats in the body serve few functions. They provide stored energy (body fat), fat protects major organs, and it also acts as insulator preserving body heat. They should contain about 20% of your daily calorie intake.

You shouldn't avoid fats completely because they are responsible for many important functions in your body, they also regulate normal muscle growth. Good sources of fat are:

Water is the main component of our bodies. The body is made from approximately 60% of water and muscle is composed of roughly 72% water. Proper hydration is extremely important to a bodybuilder because it clears out toxins, helps metabolize fat and reduces fluid retention. You should drink at least 1 gallon of water a day. You can take even more if you are cutting or taking creatine.

Vitamins:

Vitamins and minerals are other important nutrients for our body. Our organism would not function properly without adequate doses of vitamins and minerals. You should always get required doses of:

Any deficiencies can cause serious problems. You should be aware of overdosing some vitamins and minerals too.

Conclusion:

If you want to succeed in this sport you must understand the role and importance of macronutrients. But probably the most important thing is your total daily calorie intake. You should be very careful with it. If you eat less calories than your body uses, you will lose weight. If you eat more calories than your body needs, you will store fat.

You need to find balance when your body gains a maximum amount of muscle and stores minimum amounts of fat. It's a tough but manageable task. Good Luck!

4: Supplementation

At last, we come to the last point - Supplements! It's not an essential part of bodybuilding but if you enhance your already good training routine, nutrition program, and dedicated body with wise supplementation, you can achieve incredible, tremendous results!

Sport supplements are getting more popular every day. Perhaps every person now has heard about creatine. And why has it become so popular? Simple - it works.

Thousands of athletes have already experienced the effect of good supplementation. Some skeptical people might say - you don't need to use any supplements if your diet is already good. But supplements can really make your progress and goals come faster. I will list a few of the most popular and effective supplements on the market today.

Protein Powders:

Bodybuilders need really high doses of protein and it gets hard to get all protein from raw food alone. Then protein shake comes into play. Whey is probably the most popular protein today. It's digested very quickly; that's very good for post workout nutrition.

Bioavailability is also very high, so everything makes whey as the best source of protein. My favorite whey protein is Optimum 100% Whey Protein.

Creatine:

Creatine monohydrate caused a revolution in the sport supplement industry. A few years ago it was probably the most powerful legal and natural supplement in the world. Everybody was getting good results, however creatine is absorbed poorly so a new type was created.

Amino Acids will always be one of the best supplements for bodybuilder. They aid in growth, recovery and repair of lean muscle tissue. Organisms can always benefit when some extra aminos are given to him. I would especially accentuate BCAA's.

In my opinion it's the best supplement after creatine. When taken before and after a workout they prevent protein breakdown, prevent muscle damage, and loss of glutamine. My favorite BCAA product is SciVation Xtend. Glutamine and HMB are also products worth trying.

Multivitamin:

As I mentioned above, vitamins and minerals are absolutely essential as a part of your nutrition. If you don't get the amounts you need you are not reaching your best potential.

NO2 is a new product on the market and has already become very popular. It promotes crazy pumps and lean mass gain. It increases blood flow to muscle and more nutrients are delivered.

If you like that extreme pump I would certainly recommend a nitric oxide product to you. My favorite NO2 product is Controlled Labs White Blood.

Testosterone Boosters:

Testosterone levels starts to decline when you are over 25 and by that time you should consider trying a good natural testosterone booster. It may raise your strength and improve performance at gym tremendously.

Main ingredient in all testosterone boosters is herb tribulus terrestris. Some products come along with stimulants which may increase alertness and focus to hit the weights harder. My favorite testosterone booster is Diesel Test.

Bonus:Which aspect of bodybuilding are you most successful in? What are you least successful? How so? Why do you think you are successful in this?

It's hard to answer this question. I always try to reach the best I can at every aspect of bodybuilding. I don't separate mindset, training, nutrition and supplementation. All these parts combine a success in bodybuilding. I don't neglect any of them.

I would say that I'm quite successful in all 4 big things. Why? Because I really love bodybuilding. I enjoy what I do. I'm not a lazy person and I'm quite motivated. So even a strict diet wouldn't be a problem for me.

RELATED ARTICLE

Improve Your Sleep!How can someone improve their sleep for maximum results? Find out what other people from the message boards think...

However we all have some weaknesses. So if I have to point out a weakness then it would probably be sleeping. I have always found it hard to go to bed early. Sometimes, when I delay my jobs I go to sleep even later. It surely affects my gains.

Sometimes I miss my last meal of the day... it's certainly not the best thing to do. Usually I'm not in the mood or too tired in the morning.

Things are better when I get an afternoon nap, but it doesn't fully compensate what I've lost at night. This is an aspect of my training that I definitely need to improve soon.

2nd Place - VikingManWhy? That's What It's All About.

Bodybuilding: The endless pursuit of the perfect body. It's interesting that we can be so all consumed with perfecting something that doesn't last. After all, this piece of meat will one day be a pile of dust sitting in a wooden box six feet under. But while we're here, if we're going to do it and succeed, then it must be done right.

1. Mindset

By far the most important factor in doing it right is your mindset, followed by nutrition, training, and supplementation.

Having an attractive, strong physique is something 99% of people would like. Ask anyone if they would like to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger and as long as they're male, they are likely to respond, "Yes!" So why don't more people look like Arnold? There are certainly enough training regiments that will achieve that goal for anyone interested.

RELATED ARTICLE

Arnold Schwarzenegger: A Tribute To A Great Champion.No other bodybuilder in the history of the sport has made the same impact. Indeed, Arnold Schwarzenegger remains the greatest, and most influential, bodybuilder of all time in the eyes of many.

There is more than enough information out there about the right way to eat if this is what you want for your life. And there are enough supplements on the market to kill a whole ranch full of horses. The reason more people don't look like Arnold? They simply don't want it bad enough.

The end result of looking like Arnold comes down to a simple question. Why? Why this and not that? Why put yourself through all this pain? Why deny yourself all the satisfaction of eating the way you want to? Why spend the time and money on this if that time and money can be spent elsewhere?

If you can't come up with a damn good response to those questions, then ultimately, something else will attract your time, attention, and money. The result? You will not look like Arnold. So those who succeed in achieving an awesome physique have a driving, burning answer to that simple question, why?

All the training regiments, nutritional knowledge, and supplements in the world don't mean anything if you don't have enough motivation to apply them. It's all about the mindset.

2. Nutrition

The second most important factor in achieving a god-like physique is nutrition. A first class training program will take you about 25% of the way to whatever goal you have. The rest of the way is made through giving your body the tools it requires to do what you are asking it to do.

Would you get in a car with a quarter tank of gas and expect it to take you somewhere that requires a full tank? Not without filling up. And so it is with nutrition. If we do not give our bodies the basic building blocks to respond to the training we will put them through, they will only take us so far.

3. Training

The third most important factor is training. All the best supplements in the world will not help you achieve your goals if you are not challenging yourself in ways that your body requires. We all have different genetics, and natural levels of capability.

So it is imperative that we know our own bodies, as well as the right ways to train them.

RELATED ARTICLE

What Is Your Body Type? Take Our Test!
What body type are you? How can you tell? Take our simple test and know! Learn how to train for your body type and what the differences are.[ Click here to learn more. ]

It is also important to understand that the training we did yesterday may or may not give us the same results tomorrow. The human body is a wonderful adapting machine, so at times, the way we challenge it must be changed to keep our body from stagnating.

4. Supplements

The last factor is supplements. They are not insignificant, but they are deliberately last. Supplements can give you a little extra edge. Anyone who has used creatine can attest to that fact. And sometimes, that little extra edge is all it takes to get that last rep, or five more pounds.

So supplements cannot be underestimated. The most important though, is protein. It can be difficult to get one to two grams of protein per pound of body weight through eating regular food. And by far the most important substance our bodies need while in a weight training program is protein. So supplementing with whey protein is extremely valuable.

PROTEIN CALCULATOR

Bodymass

Results

Protein

Bonus

In my own personal life, I am best at the mindset aspect of this whole game. My reason for being here? For working my butt off every week and choking down tuna, chicken and protein? For reading about training ideas and programs? Simple. I love the feeling that I am doing something right for my body.

I love looking down at my arms, chest & legs and knowing that I am strong. I love going out into public and knowing that my arms are bigger than most guys out there. I love living a life that requires this level of discipline. I love that it makes my wife and my daughter feel secure, because they know that daddy cares about himself and that he is strong.

RELATED ARTICLE

Discipline: Reach Your Bodybuilding Potential.
We all know real champions are those who accept nothing but the best from themselves.[ Click here to learn more. ]

I love that my friend's kids love to come over to my house and play because I can toss them around like their daddies can't. I just love being strong. It's not so much about my goals, but what I must become to make it to my goals.

My area of weakness has been in training and nutrition. Until recently my training program was very haphazardly put together. I mostly trained by the seat of my pants. I would try to train every body part once a week, but there was no real thought given to the big picture, to where I was going, and where I was coming from.

Until recently... I have started studying about different training ideas, principles and programs. I am about to start a new program that is very well tailored to my specific body and level of training. Nutrition was never something I really thought much about till I started talking to another bodybuilder I work with. He is a monster.

He can bench 450, squat 550 and deadlift 650. He would tell me that nutrition is 60% of my results. I have since come to agree with him. So my nutrition is starting to look a lot better. I am cutting out bad fats, simple carbs, and upping my intake of EFA's, complex carbs and protein. The effect was almost instantaneous. I saw a tangible difference in my body within days.

Conclusion

In closing, I'd like to reiterate the importance of mindset. It is the choices that we make on a daily basis that define who we are. If we can find a way to make better choices, we can pump out a whole new definition of ourselves. And all that comes down to a simple question. Why?

3rd Place - RippedJordanianMost Important Aspect of Bodybuilding.

1. Training

The most important aspect of bodybuilding is training, period. You can be the most motivated, dedicated, person in the world who takes all the supplements on the market and eats a perfect diet and you won't make any progress without actually getting your butt into the gym and lifting those weights.

Your muscles will not build themselves, popular to common belief if you drink a protein shake or take steroids and don't lift weights; don't expect that scale to go up! You will always have a little protein moving around in your blood which will be used to build your muscle, but it won't get built without training.

Training is stimulating the muscle and tearing it down so that the body builds it up again with bigger mass and stronger fibers so that it doesn't rip as easily as before. That's how your mass and strength gains are made.

Also contrary to popular belief, training is not going to the gym and squeezing out a few reps without even breaking into a sweat. That won't get you anywhere. The training I'm talking about is the hardcore pumping throbbing pain you will experience when you start to go into extreme lifting.

Most Importantly, Form: This is a factor so overlooked by beginners and uneducated teens who bicep bar curl and end up giving their back a workout. Form is the most important, you will have to sacrifice some weight, but remember, form is the only way you can hit those muscles and really make your muscles sore.

Weight: You won't get anywhere from lifting 5 pound dumbbells 100 times - lift heavy (reps not exceeding 12 and not less than 6), for mass. For strength go up to 8 reps. Put a weight where you are physically unable to do the last 1 or 2 reps alone, and need a spotter to give you a small push.

Pain: This is the only sport where pain is good! When your muscles start to burn, that's when the exercise your doing starts to give results, and those last few reps when your muscle is burning and your body is screaming for you to stop, that's when you'll gain the most.

Don't imply that any pain is good (that is not true). I'm talking about a very specific type pain. Not pain in your bones or joints or nerves. If that happens, STOP before you injure yourself! I'm talking about muscle burn.

The second most important aspect is nutrition. You want to make your body bigger and your body is made of food. If that is the case then eating food would be the logical answer. Many teenagers and lifters alike overlook this crucial aspect. Where will the protein for your muscle come if you don't eat it?

Where will the calories for the building come if you don't eat them? You should eat balanced meals with lots of protein and carbs, low fats, and 6-8 meals a day to keep your metabolism up. Without eating enough, and properly, your body will be unable to repair your muscle after you rip it when lifting and workout out.

When you lift, you're tearing down muscle fibers. The body needs to repair them to make the muscle grow. That's why one should eat properly and in high quantity. If you don't eat and rest enough, you will run the serious risk of overworking and you will lose muscle mass!

Eat 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of your body weight. About 2-3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Remember, if you don't eat enough, you won't grow!

PROTEIN CALCULATOR

Bodymass

Results

Protein

Eating Properly + Eating Constantly = Proper Diet

3. Mind Set

Without devotion and dedication to the sport, you won't be able to do anything in bodybuilding. Mind set requires pushing past the pain during training, eating enough nutrition, keeping an optimistic attitude through plateaus and weak days where you feel depressed. It's important to have a powerful mindset to succeed in bodybuilding.

RELATED ARTICLES

Winning Mindset Of The Week.
What we say and how we say it has an amazing power subconsciously in our determination and perception of the events in our life. A winning mind set can make your experiences positive. [ Click here to learn more. ]

Bodybuilding, unlike other sports, is a mind sport. Almost anyone has the genetic potential to have an extraordinary body; it's up to you to reach it through devotion and dedication to the sport. Other sports require skill and luck, over here; we rely purely on the mind!

Consistency is also an important factor. If you start missing out on your workouts, forget about reaching your goals. So stay devoted, here is a link to get you motivated when you feel depressed or down. Also, try watching lifting videos or looking at pictures that will get you pumped and ready to lift those weights!

Dedication + Consistency = Great Mindset

4. Supplementation

Supplements are not usually found in your normal city diet and that's why they are called supplements. Don't over use supplements, it's important to use them properly to get the best results. Supplements are very important, don't get me wrong, but they should be used as a booster, not as your body's main way of putting on muscle, because that won't work!

Think of supplements like a sidekick to your body. They are very important for keeping your body in an anabolic (muscle building) state, and to prevent muscle loss during workouts, and to speed up the muscle gaining process. They are the extra decoration for your bodybuilding life.

They will help you get to your limit quicker, and give you the extra edge, if you don't overuse them. Many of today's supplements are overpriced and ineffective. That's why you should research the supplements you get before buying them to see if they will work for you and if they are compatible with your individual medical problems or conditions.

I also recommend looking in different stores to see the best price tag, because many supplements can be pretty expensive. Find the best deal for your supplements (mine is Bodybuilding.com) before buying them. Supplements are important for any bodybuilder and most are completely safe, that's why it's a good idea to buy supplements if you want to work up to your potential.

There is also one aspect which is very important but isn't in this topic, but I still feel I should talk about it. Sleep! I mean deep sleep at night, not a 1/2 hour nap. Try to sleep at least 8 hours every day because it builds muscle the muscle.

Sleep is important for protein synthesis, muscle repair, and secretion of anabolic hormones. Remember to eat lots of protein before sleeping to keep your body in an anabolic state.

Also, remember this: you only grow out of the gym!

Bonus:Where I Succeed?

I succeed most in training. I train with high intensity, high volume workouts and beat my record every time. I also push through the pain for as long as I can until complete muscle failure and until I physically am unable to lift the bar another inch. But that's just the beginning. I then do static training or x-reps by holding the bar in the middle of the exercise where the force is the strongest, and do a few mini-reps by vibrating my muscle.

RELATED ARTICLE

Q&A - X Factor Interview.
Recently Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson stumbled onto a new training concept that took their muscles to new dimensions. Learn more about the amazing X-Reps right here![ Click here to learn more. ]

This gets an awesome pump and lights your muscle on fire! I am in the gym 4 days a week lifting like crazy with proper form and heavy weights. That's what I think makes me a good bodybuilder, and that's the aspect I excel most in. 180 lbs. of pure muscle isn't easy within 4 months!

Where I'm Not Too Good?

I think I suck in supplements. Not because I dislike supplements, or because I can't afford them, or because I forget about taking them. Mostly because my parents don't allow me to take them (it sucks, I know). They say they're not good based on rumors they hear from the rest of my family regardless of the thousands of internet articles I found on medical web sites which assure them that whey protein powder is fine.

RELATED ARTICLE

A Letter To Parents Concerned About Their Teenager's Protein Intake.
I would like to present this letter to all parents and doctors about protein. I am going to try and fill in the gaps here in regard to teens and high protein diets.[ Click here to learn more. ]

I have no incentive to take anything else except vitamins and whey. But hey, it's a challenge, and that's what bodybuilding is about!